Last updated on August 10th, 2014 at 05:04 pm
Sarah Palin make her Fox News debut tonight on The O’Reilly Factor where she claimed that shows like CBS 60 Minutes are biased. She also spoke for the American people, who she claims said, “We’re not believing that stuff anymore, and that’s why they’re tuning into Fox News.”
Here is the video courtesy of Media Matters:
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O’Reilly pointed out that Palin now has a forum to neutralize her critics. Palin replied, “Hey, the American people are immediately neutralizing outlets like 60 Minutes. Look at the numbers of the networks right. More and more Americans are looking at these networks that bias journalism and they’re saying nah that gig’s up, we’re not believing that stuff anymore, and that’s why they’re tuning into Fox News.”
Since Sarah Palin brought it up, let’s look at the ratings for 60 Minutes. The venerable CBS News program has been on a ratings roll this year. It was the number one show on television twice in the month of November, and 60 Minutes’ overall ratings are up 12%-15% this season, so Palin is correct, people are turning away from networks that practice biased journalism, and they are tuning into shows like 60 Minutes.
Palin was brought in to Fox News to be controversial and preach to the unwashed masses that actually believe that FNC is fair and balanced, but her claim that people are watching Fox News because they want unbiased journalism is something that only the most hardened right wing Kool-Aid drinkers could buy.
O’Reilly’s claim that Fox News which averages 3-5 million viewers could neutralize 60 Minutes which averages 10-20 million viewers is a fantasy. 60 Minutes carries more weight than all of Fox News combined. If her debut is any indication of what’s to come, we can be certain that Sarah Palin will continue to mouth whatever half baked untruth that is put on the teleprompter in front of her.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
